mentally they were in full force today. the weather going into the weekend will be great. downtown, we're in the 70's this morning. 74 at the inner harbor with clear skies. look at the radar. nothing is going on around here. the closest rain is out in indiana. watch the track. it is headed south towards western kentucky and tennessee. it is not coming this way. i will talk about when it rained it does play in the forecast this weekend. right now we want to take one of the pretty quiet traffic problems this morning with kim dacey. >> you are very right. not many people out there. no problem spots at least for the time being. we're up to speed on the major roadways.

59 on 95 heading into the city. 65 on the topside of the beltway. 69 as you head down to the beltway on the j.f.x. 11 minutes on the west side. 11 minutes on the topside. looking at 17 minutes between the 95's. this is 95 north of 195. things moving fine north and southbound. heading down to the beach, it looks like smooth sailing in both directions. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. back to you. good morning. >> lawyers continue to count the punitive damages in a lawsuit against exxon mobil oil. >> as jennifer franciotti explains, the punitive damages could be the largest in state history. she is live in towson to tell us

more. >> after six months of testimony, jurors awarded 150 families compensatory damages totaling more than $496 million. we're told the punitive damages is in the hundreds of millions. attorneys are disappointed and disturbed by the ruling of punitive damages. there will be an appeal. in the meantime, this verdict is welcome news. >> i hope that they -- that the world has learned you do not do this to people and get away with it. >> that was one of the plaintiffs who says she is expecting a letter in the mail that will tell her what she will be awarded for this situation. as far as the appeal, exxon mobil attorneys have not said when they will file the appeal. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11

news. >> victory for the opponents of a bill to allow in-state tuition for undocumented workers. the leaders of the petition drive say they have exceeded the number of signatures needed. opponents of the law are convinced it will be overturned. if all goes as planned, voters will how the last say in the general election ballots. there are a bunch of new state laws to go into effect today. you now will be able to bring your dog to restaurants with outdoor dining with proper documentation. wiener's will be permitted to ship directly to maryland residents. ies.inery' baltimore city school students could have to go to school six

days a week. school administrators say they are considering all options. a few cities schools allow that. the extra time in the class could lead to success. officials say the change would target eighth graders. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. what do you think of the idea of extending the school week for more baltimore city school students for six days? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> a plane is forced to land in the water but the pilot is ok. this happened it yesterday afternoon. the plane went down in queens and county. it was trying to take off from the airport. it is believed the engine may have failed. there was a fire ovelombard street in west baltimore.

nobody was hurt. >> there is word a deal might be in the works to prevent the federal government from defaulting on its bills in august. tracie potts has the story from washington. >> we are talking about runaway spending that we cannot afford. >> sound familiar? that is in minnesota. the state's government shut down because democrats and republicans could not agree on whether to raise taxes to cover the budget. the same thing is happening in washington. >> government has to live within its means. i am prepared to bring our deficit down by trillions of dollars. >> in part by raising taxes. the president was being

criticized for taking too much time off of work. >> the president has criticized everybody else. >> a democratic aide reports there may be a deal on the table. $one trillion in cuts. would allow the u.s. to borrow another trillion dollars and perhaps prevent a market meltdown. >> we need to work out some arrangement quickly before the markets start to react and american families start to face the consequences. >> republicans are split on whether to take a short-term deal. tracie potts, wbal-tv 11 news. >> timothy geithner said he is staying put for the foreseeable future. responding to speculation he could leave the obama administration. somebody close to dieter told

the associated press he may leave. the senate confirmed general david petraeus to take over leon panetta's spot in the cia. he is credited with leading the troop surge that sow was the u.s. war in iraq. >> a popular host will not be seen this morning. mark helprin has been suspended he said the present have been acted like a private investigator. thought the word would be believed out. was suspended. >> that was a good way to put that. a new york ymca at the center of

a great chase. >> serious credibility issues in the case against dominique strauss-kahn. >> this is 50 at 97.

>> good morning. 10 minutes past 5:00 a.m. this is friday morning. beautiful scene downtown. clear skies. stillwater's on the inner harbor. temperatures in the mid 70's. look at the wide view of the radar. we have to go out into indiana and wisconsin to find the nearest rain. scattered showers and thunderstorms. that stuff is headed due south.

not coming into the mid atlantic region. other storms in nebraska and the dakotas. we have a buffer that is keeping the rain away. we have more in the forecast. stick around. >> a grand jury indicts a former summer youth counselor in buffalo, new york, on sexual misconduct charges. the girl's family claims managers fail to call police when the incident first came to light. there were not told about the initial sexual conduct at first. the council was indicted on misdemeanors and could face two years in prison if convicted. an official close to the defense team of dominique strauss-kahn said the defense will ask for bell modifications.

the made the claimed she was raped lied repeatedly to new york police. the deputy police commissioner had no comment on the matter. >> passengers on board a recent flight had a surprise. a scorpion it was on the plane. passenger was stung. this corporate was in a bag. the man received 4000 bonus miles and two free tickets. >> that was no small scorpion. 5:12. so mixed news for a free baltimore tabloid. >> getting hard to separate fakes from real when it comes to designer handbags

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. kim dacey checking on your morning commute. we're looking good so far. no problems to report. we will give it a look outside and some of the speed sensors. 58 on the harrisburg expressway. 57 along the topside. up to speed, 11 minutes on the inner loop west side. 95 northbound, eight minutes. nine minutes on 895 between 95 and the harbor tunnel. things looking good all the way around.

not too much volume. this is a 95 north of 195. things unmoving just fine. this is 50 at sandy point. very light volume if you're heading down to the beach. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest on the buses and the trains. for that we go to vanetta brooks of the mta system. >> we are looking at a good start this point. the one, three, and 64 buses are diverting at charles and conway street. the penn, camden, and brunswick lines is reporting no delays. regular bus and light rail will operate on a sunday holiday schedule. no commuter bus schedule on the fourth. i am vanetta brooks. now back to john collins. >> thank you.

a beautiful morning this morning. the first hint of sunrise. clear skies. we looked at the radar. no clouds or rain. we do see the rain in indiana and illinois. scattered showers and thunderstorms. that is moving to the south. high pressure is sitting over us. that will be a buffer today and tomorrow in large part. 86 was the high at the airport yesterday. typical this time of year it is 86 degrees. we have typical temperatures and low humidity yesterday. this morning, temperatures, readings are mostly in the 60's to around 70 degrees. the darker green shades on the eastern shore, upper 50's. 50's in the mountains out to the west. a very comfortable morning.

that area of high pressure, most of the rain associated with this weather system out to the west. it cannot push through this high. we have some good weather. the radar, you can see the big area of high pressure. rain trying to push but it is deflected to the south. we have this big area of protection. storms will hold off for awhile. a lot of sunshine today. 84 to 89 for the high. northwest wind at 5 to 10 miles per hour. things begin to break down on saturday. maybe some rain to the west of us. it looks like saturday will hold together for our area. by sunday, a front gets closer. the high starts to break down. rain chances go up.

the front sinks to our south. we do have a range chance. ocean city looks dry on saturday and sunday. -- we do have a range chance. 87 today. low 90's over the weekend. rain chances kicking in on sunday. maybe some isolated storms on monday. on-again, off-again rain next week as well. >> another tablet hits the market today. this version looks similar to others. it has a user interface. it is thin and has a camera and a bunch of apps. messaging and e-mail services. the reason for credit the tablets is simple. >> pc cells are slowly diminishing. laptops sells off slowly

diminishing. tablet sales are going through the roof. if h-p doesn't get into that game, they stand to lose. >> it cost about $500. a free weekly tabloid will undergo an upgrade. the paper will publish on wednesdays beginning july 13. the makers of designer knockoffs are getting better at their craft. the cali is getting better -- the quality is getting better. look for zippers that catch and leather that is not quite as fine. manufacturers are fighting back to make them easier to identify. there you go. next time you buy me a bag, i

will check to make sure it is real. >> new prices may stop rising at some casual restaurants. jane king has the business news in the bloomberg business report. it is friday. good morning. >> has this been the longest we've ever? here's some news to make baltimore drivers happy. gas prices may continue falling through the july 4 weekend. supply and demand. .ewer drivers are filling upp the cost of food is going higher. darden restaurants see lower commodity costs on the horizon. prices may rise as much as 04% this year.

a big rally on wall street. more optimism that greece will be able to work their way for all their financial problems. futures are flat. we could have a quiet day today. lots of talk about the nation's debt limit. negotiators need to reach a limit by july 22 at the latest in order to get enough time for congress to pass legislation in time. the u.s. will be unable to meet its debt obligations august 2. payless shoes honoring members of the military. they are offering a 10% discount to what military personnel and their families. u.s. markets are closed on monday for the fourth of july holiday. i'm jane king reporting for wbal-tv 11 news. back to you. >> you have some good news. i understand the recent bad news

on the jobs from. >> lockheed martin continues to shun jobs. the aerospace unit. johns hopkins is cutting some positions. >> 5:23. 82 degrees on tv hill. john collins will help you finalize your plans for the fourth of july weekend.

>> and expecting mother took matters into our whole and hand when she cannot make it to the hospital in time. per water broke. she ended up using the dashboard to push. when push, the baby's head crowned. by the time they reached the

hospital, the baby was in her arms. the baby weighed 6 pounds 6 ounces. she is 20 inches long. >> the old dashboard push. this is a surfboard with a motor. the engine is turned on using a remote-control. the creator hit some roadblocks. developers step in to help make the idea a reality. some surfers have their doubts. >> everybody is competing for the waves. if somebody has a motor, that gives them an unfair advantage. jet is expected to

be released later this year. it is on the website, wavejet.com. >> americans are lazy. 5:26. 82 degrees on tv hill. jack young may get some competition in the upcoming election. >> jurors rule. looks like exxon mobil was off to pay big time for an underground gas leak. i'm jennifer franciotti. details are next. >> temperatures away from the city, 61 degrees at the airport. another nice day today. details on the forecast just ahead. >> we have a very nice friday morning commute.

>> live, local, late-breaking,

this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning, everybody. welcome back. i am stan stovall. >> and i'm mindy basara. thank you for joining us this morning. let's check weather and traffic on this friday. pretty clear out thei re. >> relatively mild in the city. upper 50's to around 60 outside the city. clear as a bell. nothing overhead. out west, into indiana and illinois, there is some rain, but it is headed south. that is another good thing. i should not separate if you look at my yard, it could use some rain. areas have had some rain, but we could use some. we looked at the forecast in detail but now we check the traffic. >> traffic is clear. people taking off for the holiday weekend.

light volume and no problem spots. we're up to speed. we have 11 minutes on the inner loop in the northeast corner. 95 northbound looking at four minutes. no delays to report at all. 95 north of 195, looking good north and southbound. this is 50 at sandy point. as you head over the bay bridge, smooth sailing as you go to the beach. westbound traffic coming towards us and looking good. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. back to you. >> hundreds of millions of dollars. that is how much of families affected by a gas leak could be in for. >> jennifer franciotti joins us to explain the verdict with damages that could be the largest in state history.

>> the jury talked about amounts in compensatory damages totaling nearly five funder million dollars. that does not include punitive damages which are expected to be in the hundreds of millions as well. susan has waited for half a decade. ever since the gas leak near her home in jacksonville left her worried and angry. >> we did not know. we thought you could not drink it. goes through your skin and becomes absorbed through your skin. >> jurors provided some 150 famished compensatory damages totaling $496 million. attorneys did not have the exact figures for punitive damages. they are also in the hundreds of millions. a look at the verdict sheets found damages for one household totaling more than $50 million. >> the evidence will supports

it. the conduct which took place was quite wrongful but fraudulent. >> attorneys are disappointed and disturbed by the ruling on punitive damages and say there will be an appeal. >> we did not be engaged in fraud. we were willing to pay reasonable compensatory damages to those people who were damaged by the spill. we were not willing to own up to something we did not do. >> the plaintiffs and jury members hugged and celebrated. susan told us she is happy about the ruling, but knows it will not erase all of our problems. >> we still live there. would you buy my house? >> plaintiffs are expected to get a letter in the mail. no word on when an appeal will be filed. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news.

>> residents have access to a new tool to help keep up with issues related to public safety and crime. the subscription service allows residents to sign up for alerts by individual police districts and neighborhoods. the mayor calls this an important addition to improving communications. you can find out how to subscribe on our website, wbaltv.com. the former owner of the senator theatre says he wants to take on jack young. >> by tuesday, i will file to run -- for the privilege of being the next city council president in baltimore. >> he is not an official candidate yet. he didn't lay out any platform ideas. you may recall that he was

escorted out of the city hall last week and begin this week. the mayor's office said his reason behavior is unacceptable and the city is reviewing the matter. meanwhile, he will focus on his campaign. take back our to city. a look forward to working with each and every citizen in baltimore, all the neighborhoods, the ones i know well and the ones i need to learn. >> jack young had no comment on his possible candidacy. >> no word on whether leslie johnson will step down after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges. leslie johnson pleaded guilty on thursday admitted to flushing a check from a developer down the toilet and trying to stuff $80,000 in cash in her underwear. >> i made a mistake for which i

today accepted responsibility for my conduct. >> her husband pleaded guilty for accepting more than $400,000 in bribes. she faces up to 18 months in prison. >> jody landers opened his campaign headquarters in federal hill. he announced his bid for mayor bacchant april. last week, he resigned from the greater baltimore board of realtors after 14 years of service. >> the case is one step closer to go into the jury. the defense has rested in the casey anthony trial. we have more. >> do you know george? >> the defense closed with a flurry. >> to develop a relationship with them -- did you develop a

relationship with tampa him. >> he said it was an accident and went out of control. but i was caught off guard with airit. he had tears in his eyes. >> prosecutors pushed to establish that was george anthony at the time. >> he did not claim he was there or knew that the request i agree with you. >> later, her mother and father and brother were called back to the stand. questioning centered on how the pets were buried. >> they were put in plastic bags and wrapped in packing paper.

>> prosecutors fireback the crest i take it that you did not euthanized your own pets with chloroform. >> only one anthony was left to take the stand. one question was answered this afternoon because it is your decision not to testify. >> yes, sir. >> the defense rests. >> 5:38. 62 degrees on tv hill. many parents have different ways of disciplining their children. >> a certain kind of contact may be dangerous. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day.

what do you think of the idea of extending the school week in baltimore city to six days? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> good morning. friday morning. temperatures range from below 60's to the lotus mid 70's this morning clear skies overhead. i will give the quick sketch of what the holiday weekend will look like around the baltimore area. we have the fourth of july coming up. that weekend is looking pretty good. this is a quick sketch. it will be warned saturday, sunday, and monday with temperatures around 90.

there is a rain chance on sunday. i will have a better a detail of how that will play out including today's forecast in just a few minutes. >> a survey of nearly 3000 mothers with children younger than to found one in three have spanked their children in the past year. 5% reported spanking children younger than 3 months old. children younger than two or not developing them -- punishing them makes no sense. parents should have better disciplinary strategies. >> a warning about contact lenses. the context can only be purchased with a valid prescription. more and more teenage girls are finding context in duty stores for as low as $20.

one person suffered an infection of the cornea. >> not good. 5:42. 62 degrees on tv hill. the men's semifinals set for wimbledon

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. kim dacey checking on your morning commute. no problems to report. we're looking at a nice morning commute. we're up to speed on the major roadways. 65 on the j.f.x. heading south. we're looking good all the way around. 10 minutes on 95 south between the beltway and 32. 95 north, five minutes. 80 minutes on 895 south between the 95 's.

this is old court road. very light, especially for this time of mourning on the inner and outer lips. this is ocean city. coastal highway looks beautiful. we have a beautiful sunrise. look at that ocean. today is a great day to get to the beach. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest on the buses and the trains. for that we go to vanetta brooks of the mta system. >> we're looking at a delay on the light rail, 20 minutes in the northbound direction. metro remains on an eight-minute schedule at johns hopkins cattle. the 64 bus line diverting at charles and conway street. be prepared for those delays. i am vanetta brooks. now back to john collins. >> thank you. sunny skies are soon coming up. ritter satellite combination,

all is quiet. a big area of high pressure over head. everything west has to be pushed around that high. you see these storms being deflected southward from illinois and wisconsin. storms stay away. look at the current conditions. 70 in annapolis. on the boardwalk, we saw that view of the boardwalk and the beach at ocean city this morning. 63 degrees. edgewood, 64. frederick, 50's in western maryland. this is the satellite picture. all these storms out west. they get pushed to the south. they cannot move into that area of high pressure. this height will slide further ease. it will allow the unsettled weather out west to get closer to us. by the end of the holiday weekend, rain chances do increase.

rain tends to be scattered. that will probably be the case. the rain has missed my backyard. mostly sunny skies today and pleasant. northwest wind at 5 to 10 miles per hour. high tide coming up in the next hour and again at 7:40 this evening. the dry conditions with storms going around us until it saturday. then the closer. we could pick up a few clouds on saturday. the best chance is the rain will stay to the west on saturday. the front gets closer on sunday. our rain chances increase sunday into monday. get a break.aay humidity goes up. temperatures will be in the 80's

at ocean city. , morse humid on saturday. a nice day and partly cloudy. 92 on sunday. rain chances increase for some scattered storms. a few isolated storms with the highest chance will be south of us on monday. the fourth looks good for us. the humidity will be dropping as well. >> 39 million americans estimated to be traveling this july 4 holiday weekend. kate amara has more on the troubled outlook. >> with gas prices about $1 higher per gallon, more americans are staying home for the holiday. >> the gas prices are high. >> i think the gas went down below a bit but it is still expensive. >> more americans are staying home this fourth of july

weekend. 1 million more. according to aaa, gas prices are too blamed. >> down 3% compared to a year ago. we're expecting 33 americans to take the road. >> aaa says driving skills dominate the fourth with 84% of holiday travelers hitting the road to correct we're trying to nantucket. >> 44% of travelers said the rising cost of gasoline will lead to pinching pennies elsewhere this weekend. >> taking shorter trips and spending less elsewhere. >> some drivers will cut their distances short. air travel expected to be up 9% from a year-ago. >> for some people, it may be more convenient to travel by air this year to their destination.

>> the average travel distance is down. travel costs are up across the board. high gas prices are again to blame. kate amara, wbal-tv 11 news. >> 5:50. 62 degrees on tv hill. the nba jam summit lockout bandwagon. keith mills will have the details. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers.

>> this morning we asked -- what do you think of the idea of extending the school week in baltimore city to six days? >> keep sending us those responses. we will post more of your answers on the front page of wbaltv.com. >> good morning. the orioles need a shot of adrenaline. so much for momentum. they went into this series with the cardinals having taken two of 3 from the cincinnati reds. they got swept by the cardinals . brian matusz it continues to struggle. he was hammered again for the

third straight start. 2-0. lance berkman with a rocket. 4-0 cardinals. jon jay. matusz has given up seven home runs. 8-0. not good. the orioles battled back. nolan reimold with one swing. 8-3. mark reynolds. number 15. 8-5. 9-6 cardinals. the tie run. double play. cardinals sweep the orioles. they open a 10-game road trip in atlanta. that is a tough road trip.

the nba has joined the nfl in the lockout mode. the contract expired this morning. the nba has locked out their players until a new deal has been reached. nfl talks continued today in minneapolis. semifinals set today for wimbledon maria sharapova in the finals and the squealing or grunting continues. it would not be a wimbledon without some grunting. match point sharapova. she plays tomorrow morning. the men's semifinals is today and you can watch it on wbal-tv . what do you think? >> are we getting paid to watch that? >> google could be forced to pay $500 million.on dollars

>> and intense paddling mission. man is paddling more than 2,000 miles. >> nice day yesterday. no rain nearby. details just ahead. >> we are problem-free on the area roadways.

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>> exxon mobil will have to pay the big time. i am jennifer franciotti. a live report is straight ahead. >> mighty big a deal in the works after months of deficit talk? talk?